CHAPTER 38: BEST DADDY EVER!

"Thank you."

Lola’s soft smile shone through despite the rest of her disguise.

Thank you for letting me look after your kids—for being once neglectful, which opened an opportunity for me to be a temporary guardian of your adorable children. And... for giving me a chance to have closure of my own.

But Lola didn’t say all of that as she rose from her seat. She looked at the twins one last time, waved at them, and kept a wide smile before she walked away.

Step by step, her heart felt heavier. However, she didn’t stop, nor did she look back.

Lola left, feeding herself with logic and common sense. Three days shouldn’t be enough to make her feel so reluctant to leave the twins. And she should’ve held back, even just a little.

But alas, only now did she realize she hadn’t really held back in opening her heart to those adorable angels. She let them in with open arms, despite knowing she was setting herself up for heartbreak. Because right now, it felt like leaving two big pieces of her heart behind.

****

Meanwhile, as Lola strode off, the twins tilted their heads to the side.

"Is Mommy sad?" Chacha wondered. "Should we go after her?"

"Maybe she’s sad because she still has to work, and we don’t," Second shrugged, turning his head to his sister. "I’d cry too if I had to work and everyone else wasn’t. It’s not fair."

"Oh... you’re right." Chacha nodded before rubbing her chin. "It’s not fair—hmm..."

While the twins were talking, their father quietly took something out of his pocket.

"Father Sir—"

Thump.

Before the twins could say anything, their father put a flash drive on the table and slid it across the surface until it was in front of them. The twins blinked, then lifted their eyes to their father. Their lips began to quiver as they immediately guessed what it was all about.

"It’s a soft copy of your appeal," he said, his voice cold as ice. "Stop calling me ’Father Sir’ since I haven’t approved the appeal yet. Send it back to me once you’ve found and corrected the three typos you made. Then, we’ll talk."

The twins watched their father casually lean back in his seat, like a king seated on a throne. Chacha and Second pressed their lips together before pouting.

"Three typos?" Second sighed. "But we checked it."

"How many times?"

"One!" Chacha chimed in.

"Do two next time," their father coolly returned. "Remember this when you decide to write up an appeal or proposal instead of just asking."

The twins sighed heavily. "Okay..."

After a second, they looked up at him, then crawled onto their seats to their father. Chacha even took it a step further, crawling over him to reach his other side. Once they sandwiched him, they tilted their heads until they were hovering in front of the fish mask.

Second fluttered his eyelashes adorably as he asked, "Daddy, if we finish the appeal, will you approve it?"

"Approve it, please~?" Chacha hummed. "Let’s take Mommy home, please?"

Behind the mask, Atlas deadpanned as he darted his eyes at the bubbly faces before him. "Can’t."

They frowned until they heard his next words.

"Don’t forget your manners. Ask her if she wants to... and do it nicely and politely."

"Yippee~!" The twins cheered, hugging their father with their cheeks squishing against his mask. "Daddy is the best!"

"The best daddy ever!"

Their father didn’t smile or show satisfaction in his eyes. He just sat there, feeling his mask graze against his skin as the twins rubbed their cheeks on him.

"..."

DING!

Suddenly, his phone rang. Taking it out and holding it behind his son, what he saw was the same money he had sent to Lola.

She had returned it.

****

Four hours later...

Silo idled in the lobby of the Lion Square Hotel, waiting for Lola. The audition should’ve wrapped up by now, so he had come to pick her up.

"Oh, Lol—" Silo rose to his feet from the lounge seat, hand raised to get her attention. However, he stopped when he noticed that she was alone.

The smile on his face faded a bit as realization dawned on him. "Right," he whispered. "She already returned the twins."

His mouth curved down into a slight frown as he had gotten used to the twins’ presence. Chacha and Second had been with them day and night for the past three days. They may have been a little too brutal, but their presence and smiles could brighten up any room.

Meanwhile, Lola dragged her feet to the lobby until she saw the restaurant. She paused, staring at the entrance and the few people inside.

"They’re gone," she whispered to herself, her eyes fixed on the table where she had left them.

Her plan for today had been simple: attend the casting, drop them off, and then decide whether she would go home or stay. In the end, she stayed at the casting until they called it a day, informing the rest who hadn’t gotten their turn—including Melissa—to come back tomorrow.

Yet, she didn’t even get to enjoy the look on Melissa’s face. In fact, she didn’t bother anymore.

"Lola." Suddenly, Silo’s voice was heard from behind her.

His brows rose, stretching his neck a bit to take a peek at her. He hadn’t seen her side profile when she turned her head to him, making his face twitch.

There, Lola was chewing her black lips, her eyes looking rounder and wigglier as tears welled in them.

"I..." she hiccupped, holding herself back from bawling her eyes out. "... miss them already."

"..." Silo opened and closed his mouth, but in the end, he sighed heavily. A defeated smile turned up on his face, placing a hand on his hip. "Want to grab something to drink?"

She sniffed pitifully and nodded.

"Goodness, you." He shook his head, but somehow, he was more relieved than worried.

Before the twins, Silo had been more worried about one thing—and that was Lola’s growing coldness, detachment, and distance from everything and everyone.

Now, he was glad that the Lola he knew was still there all along. It just took two angels to lure her out.